Created and re-created against the backdrop of cycle of war and peace with its accompanying social and economic impacts, the twentieth century garden pivots between tradition and modernism, informality and structure. The century sees a shift in both style and materials as concrete takes its place at the heart of new towns and spaces, whilst the country house garden struggles to survive and flourish again in a new order. Garden design increasingly reflects the needs of a wider range of society, whilst literary and artistic movements locate gardens at the very heart of the struggle for meaning in a world of change and aspiration. At the dawn of the 20th century we start in a corner of Gertrude Jekyll’s garden at Munstead Wood, we will explore how canvases – landscape, garden or painting – primed by the ‘golden afternoon’, provided the narrative for comfort, remembrance and renewal. Reflections on conflict encapsulated in the words of Monet’s friend Clemenceau: And the action of this battlefield, it is life itself, luminously transposed, … here the drama of the Nymphaeas unfolds across the world’s stage.
Caroline Holmes is a garden historian of places, people and plants who lectures internationally, delving into the myriad ways people and plants have historically shaped landscapes and what we can learn from them. Course Director for the University of Cambridge Institute of Continuing Education – International and accredited programs. Lecturer for The Arts Society. Author of 12 books. www.horti-history.com
This January 12 lecture is the first in a Gardens Trust series of online talks on The 20th Century Garden. You can register for the entire series on Eventbrite £30 or £5 each by clicking HERE.
